When the beloved 11-year-old gelding Surprsinglyperfect crosses the finish line in Saturday’s fifth race, it will, according to trainer Justin Evans, be his 13th and final race at Emerald Downs. But whether the one-mile, $20,000 claiming event will be the 98th and final race of Surprsinglyperfect’s career is another question.

A win Saturday would be Surprsinglyperfect’s fifth in six 2025 starts at the Auburn, Wash., racetrack and would all but clinch a second straight claimer of the year title. But as Evans put it, “If he goes out a winner, we’ve got some decisions to make.”

After making way for Colonial Downs this summer, Laurel Park will kick off its fall meet with an eight-race card on Friday. Trainer Jamie Ness, winner of the training title at the winter meet, expects to get back to his winning ways in Maryland.

“They’re trying to tweak the Mid-Atlantic region,” Ness said. “There’s a lot of racing and a little shortage of horses. Everyone’s trying something new. It’s hard for a guy like me with a lot of Maryland-breds to have all that time off, but it is what it is. Hopefully, we’re all on the same page trying to do it the right way.”

Gulfstream Park is offering nine claiming races to kick off its Sunshine Meet on Friday, and trainer Victor Barboza Jr. is coming prepared. The Florida-based trainer leads the way with five entries on the card and likes his chances in several spots.

“It’s a very good season, always, for the season before the winter meet,” Barboza said. “You classify the horses in the stakes before the winter meet and the other horses move into town. It’s an interesting season.”

The names of Antiquarian’s sire and dam, Preservationist and Lifetime Memory, are apt. The colt indeed provided a lifetime memory for all of his Centennial Farm partners when he won the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 31 at Saratoga, and he is helping to preserve the memory of his recently deceased sire, who scored his biggest win six years to the day prior, and on the same track, for Centennial.

Closing weekend at Saratoga was a family affair that left Spendthrift Farm feeling hopeful for the future. The farm swept the track’s historic Grade 1 races for 2-year-olds with a pair by the farm’s leading sire Into Mischief, Tommy Jo and Ted Noffey. Both juveniles are named for members of the Spendthrift family.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The numbers look good for front-runner Sammy Davis in the I’m Smokin Stakes, a sprint for California-bred 2-year-olds Friday at Del Mar. But some recent trends may not play in the John Sadler trainee’s favor.

Sammy Davis is 2 for 2 following a decisive stakes victory that earned a 78 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest in the I’m Smokin field. Sammy Davis is the only two-time winner in the field, and the speedster’s running lines are filled with 1s. He wired the field both starts. Lots of attributes.

Jockey Emanuel Nieves hit a milestone of 1,000 career wins on Aug. 26 at Louisiana Downs when he guided Jus Makes Cents to victory in the fifth race, according to Equibase.

Nieves won the first race of his career on May 14, 2012, at Finger Lakes. He’s compiled a career record of 8,177 starts for mount earnings of $19.4 million. His stakes winners include Norah G, Fort Polk, and Cabo’s Rumor.

Louisiana Downs has added two dates to its racing calendar. Both are Wednesday programs, on Sept. 10 and Sept. 17, according to Roxanne Tanner, the track’s director of racing.

“Our handle’s been showing an uptick this year,” she said of a reason for adding the dates.

Tanner said the move was made after discussions with the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. She said first post for the added dates will be 4:05 p.m. Central. Louisiana Downs will wrap up its meet Sept. 23.

The 71-year-old trainer Allen Landry is arguably operating the hottest barn in Louisiana. He will attempt to keep rolling Saturday when he saddles He’s Late Again in the $250,000, 1 1/8-mile Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.

Landry captured his first career training title this past spring at Delta Downs. Last weekend, he won three of the six Louisiana Cup Day stakes at Louisiana Downs. And on Monday, he picked up the training title at his base of Evangeline Downs.